Don't Kiss Me Goodbye
by LadyAdelineJeanetteBeckett
Summary: A fourshot exploring the Shane/Lori pairing, both before and after the walkers come. Written with Batmanfangirl316.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Well, I was reading a bunch of other Walking Dead stories, and leaving reviews. This led me to talking with the talented BatmanFangirl316. She is writing a Lori centric story about her debate between Shane and Rick, and I suggest you read it. But now we're working together on a four-shot set before (parts one, two) and both after (three and four) the Apocalypse. Without further ado, I present: _

**Don't Kiss Me Goodbye**

"Carl, put your napkin on your lap," Lori reminded her son.

"Sorry Mom," he replied, and did as he was told.

"Lori, I am just blown away with how well your boy behaves," Shane noted. Lori smiled back across the table.

"Thanks, Shane. I'm just glad you could join us for dinner."

It seemed that Shane had become part of the family. Rick was always inviting him over after work, not only because Rick enjoyed his company, but he also felt bad since Shane had no one to go home to.

"Shane just know that you can come over any time, our house is your house," Rick added. Shane just nodded slightly and scooped more corn into his mouth.

"So, how was your day Lori?" RIck asked her. _Oh great _Lori thought, _another one of his "inspections". _Lori knew that whenever Rick asked how her day was there would always be some complaint or something she forgot to do.

"It was pretty busy, I've gotta tell ya. I've packed up most of Carl's room and our bathroom, and moved the rest of the boxes of living room items to the new house."

"Did you start packing my study?" Rick asked her. She paused for a moment.

"No, not yet, like I said it's been a pretty busy day." Rick rolled his eyes from across the table, "Well someone needs to do it, Lori. My days are twice as busy, I'm always out there-"

"Don't sweat it Rick, I'll help Lori move tomorrow." Shane interrupted Rick before he got too passionate in his rant. Lori glanced up at him, "Shane, honey, it's fine."

"No, no, I wanna help. It's the least I can do after all the times you've opened up y'all's home to me."

"You're not comin' in tomorrow Shane?" Rick asked.

"On leave for two days this week," Shane responded, "I think Seth's got my shift." The conversation between Shane and Rick continued through the dinner, leaving Lori and Carl to just listen, which they didn't mind. Sometimes, though, Lori noticed Shane quickly glancing at her while he talked to Rick and looking away.

When dinner was finished, Lori and Rick took the plates into the kitchen. "Thanks for dinner, Lori," Rick told her, putting one plate in the sink and kissing her firmly and quickly on the forehead.

"No problem sweetheart, I'm just glad you enjoyed it." She paused for more words to say. She and Rick had seemed distant for about a year now, and she wanted to bridge the gap.

"You know I was thinkin' that maybe we could take Carl to the zoo this weekend, it would be really good for-" she turned around to meet Rick's eyes, when she discovered their absence. She heard Rick yawn and turn on the TV in the bedroom.

She finished her sentence.  
"Us."

* * *

"Need help with that?" Lori turned to look over the large box she was carrying to the garage at Shane.

"Nah, I've got it," she replied with a grin, "Thank ya though, Shane."

Shane responded by nodding his head slightly and smiling.

"Sure thing. So how are things with you and Rick?"

Lori set down the box and walked back into the study to start packing another one. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, he told me about Val," he replied. "So when you guys talked things out, how have things...you know...been since then?"

Lori stopped in her tracks, pausing not only her body but parts of her mind as she questioned, "Val?"

Shane breathed out sharply, but quiet enough for only him to take notice. "Wait...Rick didn't tell you?"

Lori put her hand against a chair wrapped in plastic for support, and almost instantly Shane grabbed her, firmly yet gently.

"Hey, hey, hey, relax. It's not like they slept together or anything. Val, our forensics investigator just got a little drunk at the unit Christmas party, you know how she gets and Rick did too so they just, they just made out...a little...It was one time...Lori, I'm sorry, he told me he told you..."

Lori seemed to shake off the thought and continued packing up boxes.

"It's in the past."

Shane seemed shocked, "That's it?"

"Well what do you want me to do, Shane? Leave him?"

Shane didn't know how to respond. So he took his time and told her, "I think there are better men out there for you."


	2. Chapter 2

"Lori! Carl! You two alright?" Shane called, bounding in the already open door to see a large box resting on the middle of the kitchen table, Lori flitting back and forth, dropping this and that into the box while Carl ran in and out of the room, grabbing his own things.

"We're about as good as we can be...We're headin' to my parents, everythin' should be fine there." She replied, setting another photo album down in the box.

"Photo albums, Lori? Shouldn't ya be packin' like...food? Clothes? Weapons?" Shane suggested.

Lori only glared, "It's not that bad, hon'. There's only like a few reports out...it's not the end of the world."

Shane shook his head, "Then why is everybody leavin' in a huff? It's mass hysteria out there."

Lori shrugged, "People are crazy. Look, if you're here..."

"I just want to help keep you an' Carl safe. Rick's in the hospital, that's safe the way it is. He's probably dead by now, or them helicopters lifted him to Atlanta..." at the mention of 'he's probably dead by now' Lori's face contorted momentarily into something...but Shane almost thought he saw...hope.

"If you're comin' with us, take this out to the car," She said, handing him the box she'd filled with photo albums and such.

"Will do. Carl, c'mon buddy, let's let your mom finish up packin'." Shane called, just as the eight year old followed him outside.

The Georgia air was warm, although there was a sense of panic in the air.

No-one knew how the world had changed; only that it had made bonds between friends tighter in its wake.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few days passed. Shane, Lori and Carl managed out make it just to the outskirts of Atlanta with a few another survivors, having set up a small camp.

Along the way, things had changed between Shane and Lori. It seemed that day he helped her pack Rick's study had affected her, and she wanted….no, that wasn't the right word. Lori…seemed to know how Shane had been feeling. No, that wasn't it either. Ethier way, whatever he called it, Shane knew he'd tapped into her hidden reserve, that side she had only shown to Rick before. It was the side that knew what she wanted, and how to get it.

Lori knew just what buttons to press, just what looks to give Shane that would lead to him chasing after her like a dog on a lead chasing after a bird, only being able to run to the end of the chain and bark.

Except for the few times he was able to catch her off guard, and in turn satisfy both of their seemingly endless desires.

Shane knew it was wrong, to be holding Lori like he was, kissing her the way he did, but nothing had ever felt so right. The way she moaned his name as they were tangled up against each other, alone in the forest...he knew she needed him, knew that he was better for her than Rick.

Come to think of it, she'd hadn't talked about him lately. Perhaps because she too knew what she was doing was wrong, and didn't want to make anything awkward.

Or perhaps she realized being wrong meant being right.

Because honestly….who ever thinks about falling in love?


	3. Chapter 3

Hell. If there ever was a word to describe the seemingly un-describable torrent of emotions Shane felt as he watched Lori embrace Rick upon his return, that word was it. Hell.

To think just that morning, he had snuck up on her and scared her, and then...well, things went from there. Shane hadn't needed to talk her into anything, Lori had known full well what he wanted, and complied.

And now, as he stood off to the side, watching his lover embrace the man that had wore the ring around her neck that morning, Shane couldn't help but feel...out of place.

And the next day, Shane had taken Carl down to the quarry to go frog catching, hoping to get enough to make frog legs for dinner. Lori had walked down as well, telling Carl to head back up to camp so she and Shane could talk.

"No, no, that's over too, you can tell that to the frogs."

"Lori look, I don't know how it appears to you-" Shane began to say.

"How it appears it me? I'm sorry, is there a grey area here? Let me dispel it. From now on you stay away from me, you stay away from my son. You don't look at him, you don't talk to now on my family is off limits to you."

"Lori, I don't think that's fair, I just don't think-" Shane started, but was interrupted.

"Shane, shut up! Don't! My husband is back, he is alive!"

"He's my best friend, you don't think I'm happy about that?"

"How dare you! How could you be? You're the one that told me he died!"

She glares at him, before adding a "You son of a bitch," before walking away.

And then, as Lori walked away, Shane realized what had just happened. She'd confirmed her love for Rick point-blank over whatever she felt for Shane.

Shane seethed, wanting, wishing Rick hadn't come back. He and Lori were perfectly happy before Rick had arrived, and Shane was determined to stay that way.

But of course nothing ever stays the same. How was it supposed to, when everything you knew could change in the blink of an eye?


	4. Chapter 4

Needless to say, the relationship grew complicated, Lori drawn into the middle of a fight, having to choose. She didn't know whether to go with her husband, who although was back, she couldn't shake the memories of their bad times, how their marriage had started falling apart before their very eyes...and then there was Shane, who seemed to having an irrevocable longing for her that would never cease.

What was she to do?

Things only grew worse as she learned she was pregnant, and she became almost positive the baby was Shane's, although she had decided when it was born it was to be raised by her and Rick alone.

This in turn only served to ignite what would turn Shane into a loose cannon, and by two weeks later his rational had taken a turn for the worse.

After killing Randall, and then confronting Rick, Shane started the fire he'd never be able to put out, all because his lust and desire for Lori had forever clouded his vision.

"It ain't gonna be easy, but Lori and Carl, they'll get over you. They've done it before. They just gonna have to-"

"Why? Why now? I thought we worked this all out!"

"We gotta kill each other man! What you think we just gonna forget about it all an' ride off into the sunset together? You gonna kill me in cold blood?"

"Screw my wife and my children. My children, callin' you 'daddy' is that what you want? Then life won't be worth a damn, I know you, you won't be able to live with this." Rick countered.

"What you know about what I can live with? You got no idea what I can live with, what I'll live with. We talk about what I can do, Rick, how 'bout what you can do? Here I am, man, come on man, raise your gun." Shane taunted; Rick's previous comment only adding fuel to the fire.

"No, no I will not."

"What happened Rick, I thought you weren't the good guy anymore, ain't that what you said? You right here right now ain't gonna fight for 'em? I'm a better father then you, Rick! I'm better for Lori then you man, 'cause I'm a better man, Rick, 'cause I'll be here an' I'll fight for her. But you come back here and you just DESTROY EVERYTHING! You got a broken woman, you got a weak boy. You ain't got first clue on how to fix it. Raise your gun!"

Rick raised his arms in an 'I-surrender' motion, "Well, then you're gonna have to kill an unarmed man."

Shane wanted so badly to shoot Rick, but in the end listened as Rick pleaded for Shane to lower his gun. As he did this, Rick lunged forward and stabbed Shane, fatally wounding him.

In the end it was his desire for love that killed him, although this too affected Lori.

After the walker invasion of Herschel's farm, the group reconvened on the highway.

Rick had been talking to Lori, Shane had been brought up.

"I killed him." Rick admitted, not noticing the anger in Lori's eyes.

As he went to hold her, reassure her everything would be okay, to his surprise she backed away, swatted at his arms.

Lori was lost in thought.

By egging Shane on to confront Rick, and telling Rick that she thought Shane was delusional, had she brought on the end of the man she'd truly wanted to be with?

Lori hadn't wanted Rick when he came back, but she'd had to have pretended things were fine. So she pushed Shane away, only making him want her more.

But now, as she sat beside the dying fire, she realized something.

Her and Rick's marriage had been doomed from the start. Shane had always been there for her, but he wasn't now. Because of her mistakes. All those nights in Georgia, spent with him? Nothing but a memory, now. Memories she could cherish for a lifetime.

_One night and one more time Thanks for the memories_  
_Even though they weren't so great; "He tastes like you, only sweeter"!_

*lyrics belong to Fall Out Boy's Thanks For The Memories*


End file.
